20.500.12556/RUL-180468 A plasticity-based constitutive framework for multi-scale modeling of mechanical degradation in PEM fuel cell membranes The long-term durability of polymer electrolyte membranes (PEMs) remains one of the key barriers to the widespread deployment of fuel cells. This work presents a plasticity-based constitutive framework for predicting membrane degradation under cyclic hydration and thermal loading. The model combines hydration- and temperature-dependent elasticity, swelling, and plastic strains with a pinhole growth law that is activated only when both mechanical plasticity and chemical degradation are present. A binary fluoride release rate (FRR) switch is introduced to couple chemical activity with defect growth in a computationally efficient manner. Simulation results reproduce key experimental and modeling trends from the literature. Larger hydration amplitudes Δλ accelerate void growth and plastic strain accumulation, while thermal swings increase hydrostatic stresses and material softening, thereby enhancing defect evolution. The framework thus provides a physically consistent rationale for the coupled influence of hydration variability, thermal cycling, and chemical degradation on membrane lifetime. While simplified in geometry and chemistry, the present approach captures the irreversible nature of plastic deformation and remains tractable for long-term cycling studies. It provides a robust basis for future extensions toward 2D/3D analyses and for integration into multi-physics durability assessments of PEM fuel cells. PEMFC mechanical degradation plasticity swelling strain numerical modeling PEM gorivne celice mehanska degradacija plastičnost nabrekalna deformacija numerično modeliranje true false true Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik Članek v reviji 2026-03-10 09:38:41 2026-03-10 09:38:48 2026-03-11 04:38:31 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2025 0 0 Str. 217–240 iss. 3/4 Vol. 34 2025 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno apc 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 519.62 2642-2050 10.13052/ejcm2642-2085.34342 271075331 Dujc-A_plasticity-based_constitutive_framework_for_multi-scale_modeling_of_mechanical_degradation_in_PEM_fuel_cell_membranes.pdf Dujc-A_plasticity-based_constitutive_framework_for_multi-scale_modeling_of_mechanical_degradation_in_PEM_fuel_cell_membranes.pdf 1 08E8C8DE530E076D31359C7F9155EE3C 104199eed296af226d5568e403251bfd415e47cbee29b59477f3ae8bbd06000d 71494ec7-1c5c-11f1-a1ba-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=229891 https://journals.riverpublishers.com/index.php/EJCM/article/view/30467 1 237ff017-1c5c-11f1-a1ba-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=229890 Fakulteta za gradbeništvo in geodezijo 0 0 0